Religious Zionism: If Gaza war ends, we’ll leave the gov’t

MK Moshe Solomon stresses his party will leave the coalition if Israel does not return to fighting Hamas by March 2nd.

By World Israel News Staff

A politician from the Religious Zionist Party stressed his faction’s position that Israel must resume hostilities against the Hamas terror group or else face the collapse of the government.

MK Moshe Solomon said in a recent radio interview that the second phase of the hostage deal requires a full IDF withdrawal from Gaza and a long-term ceasefire, which his party is unwilling to support.

“I expect [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] and cabinet to fulfil their commitment where we complete phase 1 of the deal and [then] act with military force against the Hamas terror organization. I believe this is how we can bring back the hostages who are [still] there,” Solomon told Radio North.

“Currently, phase 1 has ended with everything that was promised, despite Hamas’s violations.”

When asked about phase two of the deal, which would see Israeli troops retreat from Gaza in exchange for the return of additional live hostages, Solomon said it “won’t happen.”

Solomon noted that the ceasefire outlined in the first stage of the deal is slated to last for 42 days.

If Israel does not return to fighting on Sunday, March 2, Religious Zionism will leave the government, Solomon said.

Opposition parties, including Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid, have pledged to provide a safety net to Netanyahu’s Likud to ensure the hostage deal continues.

The status of negotiations for the terms of the second phase of the ceasefire is currently unclear.

President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has expressed confidence that despite the concerns of some right-wing Israeli parties, the second stage of the ceasefire and hostage deal will happen.

Speaking to Fox News earlier this week, Witkoff said that “phase two is absolutely going to begin.”

He added, at a memorial event marking 500 days since October 7, 2023, that “we are not leaving anybody behind. We have to get everybody home.”